fresno elections 2008

It would be nice to have fire, ambulance and police/sheriff into a common and compatible dispatch system, but because of different terminology this might be hard to do. If we could integrate this into a centralized facility this would terminate many problems occurred. The dispatching of one or another unit would have to come from just one source. Again the would be cost efficient means of using government money

I believe a countywide dispatch center is an idea with enough merit that it should be considered. Criminals have no respect for jurisdictional lines and it matters little to citizens in need of emergency response as to what jurisdiction they are in at the moment. On the surface it would appear that a county wide dispatch center might improve communication and response times, and may result in efficiencies to the departments involved and potentially could allow economic resources to be reallocated to other public safety needs. It is worth considering; however the ultimate decision should be made by the leadership in the Departments involved. They are in the best position to assess whether such a system would be an improvement to their operations or not. I do not think that any City should be mandated to join. Even if it is a terrific idea, if the leadership involved is not convinced that it is the proper solution, then it would be destined for failure.

I believe it this issue comes down to a difference in service levels. Local dispatchers know the people and are connected to the community. They know who they are talking to on the phone and they know them when they come into the local police departments. They are not detached because they are working locally versus being in one large facility 20 miles away from the community.

At local centers the dispatchers do multiple job tasks – jail matrons, front desk, dealing with walk-in traffic, they monitor audio & video for the safety of inmates. After records personnel go home at 5 p.m., they act as the records department which is needed 24 hours a day. If these local folks are removed these holes would have to be plugged meaning the local departments would have to create and hire for these jobs.

Also, at the local level a Police Chief can walk up the hall to solve a problem at dispatch versus trying to work on problem in a facility that is 25 miles away.

There should be a countywide dispatch center established. Under the current system we have a patchwork approach that does not work very well. If you make a 911 call with a cell phone you are connected to the California Highway Patrol who may or may not know that site of the emergency is a county island within the city, this may create possible service delays with disastrous consequences. In addition, the duplication of services within the various law enforcement agencies is wasteful. As a County Supervisor you have a fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayer to prevent this kind of wasteful spending.

We are exploring the pros and cons of a countywide dispatch center at this time. Presently, the county is talking with the cities of Avenal and Lemoore about forming a J.P.A. (joint powers agency) to oversee a joint dispatch center. The cities of Corcoran and Hanford each have their own dispatch centers and are at this time not part of the discussion. A J.P.A. is a voluntary union by entities to achieve a more efficient or cheaper way of delivering a service. You cannot force any entity to join. There are provisions in the J.P.A. to allow for new entities to join at a later time if they wish.